Refugees held in Libya have accused authorities of systematic violence, torture, and extortion, with new videos surfacing from a detention facility in Tobruk that reveal grim conditions.<\/p>\n
In footage shared by the NGO Refugees in Libya<\/em> earlier this month, dozens of people are shown lying on the floor of a cramped cell without blankets, mattresses, or shoes. The organisation says more than 900 migrants are being held in the facility, although the video captures only around 100.<\/p>\n\n A second clip, posted 10 days later, depicts a visibly weak man handcuffed to window bars, reportedly after refusing to unlock his iPhone for guards. According to testimonies, he was beaten repeatedly and forced to stand overnight before being thrown into solitary confinement.<\/p>\n The detention centre, officially run by Libya\u2019s Agency for the Fight Against Illegal Immigration and located in the Al-Butnan district of Tobruk, is under the authority of the eastern-based government allied with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar\u2019s Libyan National Army.<\/p>\n Omar, a Sudanese refugee who was previously detained there, told Observers<\/em> that guards demand bribes for release. \u201cIf you are Sudanese, they ask for 2,500 Libyan dinars [\u20ac392],\u201d he said. \u201cOther nationalities, like Chadians, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Yemenis, Syrians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, South Sudanese or Somalis, must pay up to 7,000 dinars [\u20ac1,100].\u201d Omar says he eventually secured his freedom after paying a large sum.<\/p>\n He described overcrowded cells, lack of food and water, and extreme temperatures. \u201cAt night, the rooms were suffocating, with no ventilation. In the morning, it was freezing. Illness spread easily\u2014scabies, rashes, fevers, everything,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n Refugees also reported routine beatings. \u201cThere\u2019s an area where soldiers strike people with metal rods or anything at hand,\u201d Omar said. \u201cEven in the food line, if someone steps out, they are attacked. Violence is constant.\u201d<\/p>\n Aid groups say these accounts are not isolated. Thousands of migrants are locked up across Libya in similar conditions, many facing torture and ransom demands. In 2023, M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res urged the creation of humanitarian corridors to protect asylum seekers trapped in the country.<\/p>\n Libya remains fractured since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations governing the west and east. Against this backdrop of political instability, refugees attempting to reach Europe continue to face extortion, abuse, and indefinite detention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Refugees held in Libya have accused authorities of systematic violence, torture, and extortion, with new videos surfacing from…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,30],"tags":[46,65,49,50],"class_list":["post-3651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa","category-world","tag-africa","tag-analysis","tag-human-interest","tag-international","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cYou pay to get out\u201d<\/h4>\n
Disease, hunger, and abuse<\/h4>\n
Widespread problem<\/h4>\n